Getting to know our ministers … Antony Derjacques, Minister for Transport |28 December 2020
Being sworn in as minister
‘I want to bring efficiency in the public service’
Seychelles has a new cabinet with 13 new ministers appointed. While some of them are familiar faces, a few others have not been in the limelight. In an effort to better acquaint ourselves with the new cabinet, Seychelles NATION continues to share with its readers the profile of each minister.
Today we present to our readers the Minister for Transport, Antony Derjacques. He was until his new ministerial appointment managing his own Chambers, the Antony Derjacques & Associates Law Firm. After visiting the main institutions under his ministry, Minister Derjacques said he has many plans for the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, the Seychelles Ports Authority and the department of Land Transport. But for now let us get to know him.
Seychelles NATION: Who is Minister Antony Derjacques?
Minister Derjacques: Antony Derjacques is a professional from the private sector and who has been involved and working in legal practice for thirty years. I am mainly interested in constitutional matters and changing of our social fabric from authoritarianism to liberal and free market society, liberal democracy.
Seychelles NATION: Tell our readers about your journey from childhood to your young adult years.
Minister Derjacques: I was born in the Victoria Hospital and when I was three months old my parents took me where they were working in Uganda. I went to the same school as former President Danny Faure, Kilembe School, and he was in my class until I was 8 years old. We knew each other quite well and because of the expulsion of all Asians included Seychellois imposed by Idi Amin Dada, we all had to return to Seychelles. Upon reaching Seychelles, I went to Seychelles College and I went through the system until A Levels. At school I was always interested in history and that’s why I became interested in politics. I chose law because my father showed me it’s better to be a professional rather than be employed. By being a professional, you can actually have a bigger impact on the society and earn what you are performing. That was attractive to me. I must admit also that I was attracted to law because I read a lot of detective books like Perry Mason. Just like the youth of today who love detective stories, etc.
From there I furthered my studies at East London University where I made new friends such as Dr Shelton Jolicoeur. Together we came involved in politics in London. At that stage we were more interested in getting Mandela out of the Robben Island Prison and fighting against imperialism. I was very leftist and we both learned a lot about politics and the different systems from communism, Marxism-Leninism, democracy etc.
Seychelles NATION: Please tell us more about your professional life.
Minister Derjacques: In 1989, I returned to Seychelles and worked as an employment officer then as a state counsel. Two years later I was a senior state counsel. I retired from the public sector and set up my own chambers in 1991. At that moment, I also became involved with the Parti Seselwa which was being led by Wavel Ramkalawan and his associates. Politically I started working in the opposition. I am the only person who has been in every executive committee of the four political parties with President Ramkalawan. We sat together on every executive committee up to now.
Seychelles NATION: Please tell us more about your family life.
Minister Derjacques: I have two brothers, André and Peter. André has a shop promoting healthy living products and Peter went in political exile in London and is back in the country since a year ago. He is now the director of a real estate company. My sister Juliette works in the offshore sector.
I am married to Cecilie (nee Lagrenade) since May 1994 and we have one daughter Elaine. My family has always been supportive of my political involvement. My grand-parents were always members of the Democratic Party. My father also was supporting the opposition and dreamt about changes.
Seychelles NATION: Many people know and say that you are among the closest persons to President Ramkalawan. Please tell us about this ‘complicité’.
Minister Derjacques: I have known President Ramkalawan since we were both at the same secondary school, we go back to 40 years of friendship. My friendship evolved when I became his personal attorney in 1993/1994. Our friendship is not only having known each other since secondary but also as colleagues in politics. I have always supported his politics and he has always appreciated that. I was with him in all his difficulties and episodes against the government. I have also helped his friends and colleagues who had problems with the State throughout our years of battle. Also, when we are on the different executive committees, we learn how each other thinks and what our principles are. He has always stood for democracy and my role was also to expand our struggle in politics, to expand the full range of liberal democracy. For example in 2011, when we boycotted the Presidential elections, even in opposition we were in exile and worked together to bring changes in the electoral act, the political parties and registration act. And leading up to the election in 2016, we took seven cases to Court. Even though we were not in the National Assembly, we were doing all the background work to level the playing field and maintaining the party. That was the time we were the most vulnerable but we never gave up. All the work bore fruit in 2016, and he could implement all those things we have been fighting for through the National Assembly.
Seychelles NATION: And now, being a minister, what will be your main duty and how accessible will you be to the public?
Minister Derjacques: Like every minister, every Thursday we meet the public. I am going to put in place what we have preached in the manifesto and bring efficiency in our public service. I see a lot of work to be done as there has been a lack of professionalism and a lack of efficiency in the organisations around. We need to rectify and we also need to bring justice. There are many instances where a person has been subject to injustice. We need to help all these people who have been sidelined because of their political views. But on a national and policy level we have to implement the policies of the new government which is mainly to liberalise the private economy; to regularise and remove mere policies and replacing them by regulations, so that decisions are not personal but impartial and objective based on laws. We will also bring in constitutionalism in the government, how it interacts and minimise the Ombudsman’s concerns. To streamline government services and see where there is excess in public expenditure, in public servants, with the expansion of the private sector, to gradually move them to the private sector. We do not want anyone to lose their jobs, they will be absorbed by the private sector. This is what is happening worldwide. The challenges are there and my ministry is also on the frontline as we deal with import and export. We have also a few projects at the Port and we are ready to deliver.
